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UK approves military presence to fight human trafficking, Mounts Bay and aerial surveillance approved says TCI Governor’s Office

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Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, March 16, 2018 – The British Government has approved a military vessel and aerial surveillance for the Turks and Caicos Islands due to the unprecedented level of illegal Haitian sloops making successful landfall in the country.

Acting Governor, HE Anya Williams was one of the country leaders at an emergency press conference called on Friday and held at the Office of the Premier in Providenciales.

Her Excellency Williams said the Governor’s Office began reaching out to the UK since Thursday and this morning a high level teleconference was held to upset a human trafficking operation into the Turks and Caicos which officials are labeling an issue of ‘National Security’.

“I am happy to report here today that we have been in active dialogue with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, there was a teleconference earlier this morning with the Governor’s Office the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK, the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Attaché in Jamaica as well as the Regional Enforcement officer in Miami and as a result of that, we’ve requested additional assistance in terms of marine surveillance and also aerial surveillance.”

The Turks and Caicos called for the Mounts Bay of the Royal Navy fleet to return to these islands and to lend support; that request was granted and the frigate is being reassigned and dispatched from Belize to the TCI.

“Support is certainly on the way and in terms of what we are working on right now, many persons would be aware has funded the radar upgrades at a cost of $509,000, those technicians are on island, equipment is here and they have already begun the work to upgrade the radar.”

 

The team from the UK will also train the radar, immigration and police staff to manage the system which will be better, though officials resisted elaborating on how the radar’s performance will be enhanced.

Her Excellency Anya Williams said the Governor’s Office is keen on lending the support required.

“In terms of boosting numbers, in terms of providing vehicles, in terms of doing what is needed to ensure that our borders are protected, we are heavily engaged and certainly we are going to be looking at what additional support is needed.”

The acting Governor shared that the Premier has also been in conversation with Lord Tariq Ahmad, who is the FCO Minister for the Commonwealth.

“The Premier has had a personal call from the Minister in the UK, Lord Ahmad and that call was actually directed at what level of resources is needed here in the Turks and Caicos whether it is additional numbers from the region or from the UK.”  

The RFA Mounts Bay, which was in January 2018 named ‘Ship of the Year’ by the Royal Navy for the second year in a row, is being re-deployed from Belize; the Acting Governor was unable to give an exact arrival date but assured the vessel was en route to the Turks and Caicos as a matter of urgency.

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RTCIPF Observes World Down Syndrome Day

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On March 21st, 2024, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force joined the international, regional and local communities in observing World Down Syndrome Day. 

Officers showed their support by wearing brightly coloured and mismatched socks to raise awareness. 

The head of the Safeguarding and Public Protection Unit, Assistant Superintendent of Police Grantley Williams, Training Manager Mrs Odessa Forbes and Media Relations Officer Denyse Renne visited the SNAP Centre and interacted with the students.

In a message to the TCI community, the RTCIPF noted that stereotypes perpetuate stigma and hinder inclusion, preventing individuals from reaching their full potential. 

Instead, the RTCIPF calls for individuals to foster an environment of acceptance and support where everyone is valued for who they are. 

By breaking down barriers and challenging misconceptions, we can create a more inclusive society where individuals with Down Syndrome are empowered to live fulfilling lives and contribute meaningfully to their communities and, by extension, the TCI. 

As law enforcement officers, we must protect and serve all members of society, regardless of their abilities. 

Let’s work together to ensure that individuals with Down Syndrome are treated with dignity and respect and that their rights are upheld.

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CARICOM speaks out on Climate Change, looking to May meeting to amplify call for Climate Funding

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March 3, 2024

 

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) remains on the frontlines of global climate crisis, an issue the Region has been aggressively advocating on for the past thirty years. Despite the many commitments and promises of international partners, the window of opportunity to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is rapidly closing.

Heads of Government are concerned that while COP 28 was widely regarded as a historic event, with the completion of the first global stocktake (GST), on progress in achievement of the Paris Agreement goals, the outcomes of GST show that emissions of greenhouse gases continue to rise and the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) of Parties will not keep global temperatures below the 1.5 degree goal enshrined in the Paris Agreement.

Heads of Government also expressed concern to be heading to COP 29 where a New Finance Goal will be articulated to replace the 100bn goal, which has not yet been met, even as developing countries require trillions to deal with the escalating impacts of climate change. Developed country parties have not provided enough finance at scale, technology and capacity building support required to help developing countries tackle their pressing needs to build their resilience, especially in adapting to the adverse and increasingly catastrophic impacts of climate change. The clear absence of definitive timelines for action and quantitative commitments for scaling up of investments, and particularly adaptation finance emerging out of COP 28, cause great concern to our Region.

The Conference noted that Small Island Developing States (SIDS), recognized as the most vulnerable group of countries and a special case for sustainable development, have been facing strong push back against the recognition of their special circumstances especially in the context of climate finance. There is limited international support for special allocations for SIDS within financing arrangements and available climate finance from international and private sources is limited, expensive and too onerous to access.

In light of the preceding, Heads of Government called for CARICOM to take a strategic, unified and coordinated approach to ensure that the Region remains influential in the climate and development arena through engagements with key partners and advocacy groups.

They called for renewed focus by the Region to advocate for inclusion of forests, nature-based solutions and blue carbon into market mechanisms with the aim of articulating clear regional positions and strategies.

Heads of Government reiterated the call for improved readiness programmes, simplified approval procedures, a change to the criteria for determining access to low-cost finance, and for the adoption of programmatic approaches to address the bottlenecks in accessing finance.

The Region reiterates its support for the Bridgetown Initiative’s call to expand capital adequacy of international financial institutions.

Heads recognized that the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States, scheduled to be held in Antigua and Barbuda, 27 – 30 May 2024, will be an inflection point for many of these discussions to be articulated. As such, the Region remains committed to participating in the Conference at the highest level.

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South Caicos Development Plans shared with Washington-Misick led Administration

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On Monday, 12 February 2024, the Premier led a delegation to tour the island of South Caicos to view the ongoing public and private sector projects, involving the remodelling and rebranding of the airport terminals, historical districts, and the East Bay Hotel.

The tour of the various developments reinforced the Government’s commitment to collaborating with stakeholders to boost the island’s activity and economy.

Photos courtesy of the TCI Office of the Premier

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